Medtronic was “heavily involved” in drafting journal articles downplaying risks of a bone-graft product. A Senate report alleges that the medical device company didn’t disclose its role in shaping the articles by supposedly independent authors, which helped turn the Infuse bone graft into an $800 million-a-year product. Senate investigators also say Medtronic failed to disclose $210 million in payments to the authors for unrelated consulting work over 15 years. The Medtronic-influenced studies avoided mentioning complications including male sterility, an increased risk of cancer, infections, bone dissolution and worsened back and leg pain. Two outside reviews of the issue are due next year. The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, The Associated Press
Study finds high levels of formaldehyde in California day care centers. The finding was made by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, who collected air and floor dust samples to assess environmental contaminants and exposures at 40 day care centers in the Northern California counties of Alameda and Monterey. They found that all but five of the centers had formaldehyde levels higher than 9 micrograms per cubic meter over eight hours, which is above the state’s guideline for safe exposure to the cancer-causing agent. The authors of the study, funded by the California Air Resources Board, said similar exposure problems occur at schools and in private homes. HealthDay News, Bay Area News Group
States begin passing laws requiring clinics that perform mammograms to tell patients if they have dense breast tissue. Under the laws, women with dense tissue must be told that it can hide tumors on a mammogram, that it may increase the risk of breast cancer and that they should ask their doctors if they need more screening tests, like ultrasound or MRI scans. Laws requiring disclosure have been passed in Connecticut, Texas and Virginia, and most recently in California and New York, where they will take effect next year. Advocates say women have a right to know, but medical groups argue that the significance of tissue density is uncertain and that reporting it may lead to needless screening tests and biopsies. The New York Times
Pollution from factories and mines is as harmful as malaria or tuberculosis in the developing world. A report by two environmental advocacy groups said the pollution is putting the health of 125 million people at risk in low- and middle-income countries. The researchers behind the “2012 World’s Worst Pollution Problems” report say theirs is the first substantial attempt to estimate the number of people sickened or killed worldwide because they work in or live near tanneries, recycling plants, chemical factories or mines, among other toxic industries. Although they laud the effort devoted to combating malaria and tuberculosis, the researchers say the harm from the world’s toxic sites deserves similar attention. Reuters, The Guardian
Follow-up safety inspection leads to 16 citations against Wisconsin company. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Northeastern Wisconsin Wood Products’ operation in Pound, Wis., exposed workers to amputation hazards and other safety risks. OSHA, which proposed $184,800 in penalties, accused the company of four willful violations, the agency’s most serious charge, and six repeat violations. An OSHA official said the firm “has a history of failing to comply with OSHA standards dating back to 2006. Even after being placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program and working with [state officials], the company has yet to abate many violations cited in previous inspections.” OSHA, The Associated Press
Compiled by Stuart Silverstein
